The Strawstack Murders by Dorothy Cameron Disney (1938)

 

About the author: (Not to be confused with Dorothy Miles Disney, a different author.) Dorothy Cameron Disney MacKaye (1903 – 1992) was an American mystery writer and journalist who was born in pre-statehood Oklahoma and died in Guilford, Connecticut. Under the Dorothy Cameron Disney byline (the name she also used in fiction writing) she was the creator of the modern newspaper marriage advice column. She wrote nine mystery novels (wikipedia).

Major characters:

• Miss Margaret Tilbury, our narrator
• Marian Tilbury Brierly, her sister
• Fred Brierly, Marian's husband
• Jane Brierly, Fred & Marian's daughter
• Chal Enlow, Margaret's widowed brother-in-law
• Ames Enlow, Chal's son
• Ted Breen
• Dorothy Fithian, a nurse
• Harold Hargreaves, lawyer
• Simon Hargreaves, doctor, brother of Harold
• Kirkland Anderson, a doctor
• Nancy Anderson, Kirkland's sister
• Jeremy Chant, police inspector

Locale: Maryland

Synopsis: We are at the luxurious Maryland country house Broad Acres, home of the Tilburys, the Brierlys, the Enlows, and yes, even their doctor Simon Hargreaves and their lawyer Harold Hargreaves.

Margaret Tilbury, our narrator, has been being nursed by widow Dorothy Fithian. Dorothy suddenly leaves the home with no warning, taking all her things with her, and even one of the family's cars; which really annoys them. Then one of the strawstacks on the property catches fire. In the frenzy to call the fire department, they find the phone lines have been cut. Their next idea is to drive to the fire station, but all the gas tanks in the family vehicles have been drained. Next, young Jane Brierly is hit on the head and injured. When the fire is finally put out, Dorothy's body is found in it - dead, but not from the fire. She had been strangled with her scarf. Local policeman Jeremy Chant investigates. Cicumstantial evidence points at Margaret's brother-in-law Fred Brierly, and he is arrested much to the family's dismay.

A love triangle has formed. Jane is fond of Ames Enlow (her cousin), a young man with ambitions to join the diplomatic corps, but having a problematic lung ailment. Meanwhile the family discourages the match, they want Jane to take up with Ted Breen, of the local family which sold Broad Acres to them in the first place.

It is found Dorothy had been meeting local doctor Kirkland Anderson, now he is missing. They try to track him down through his sister, Nancy Anderson, but she is found dead also. Then Kirkland's body is found.

Review: Oh, this one was a long slog for me. It was a slow, labored start but I stuck with it. I remembered I have one other title by DCD, Who Rides a Tiger. I went and checked, and I had marked it DNF (Did Not Finish). It must have been bad, I rarely DNF a book. Usually I only DNF ones that are so abstract I just cannot follow what is going on.

I realized the reason I didn't like this one is that I just plain didn't like the narrator, Miss Margaret Tilbury. She is an annoying, entitled out-of-towner that today we would call a 'Karen'. She knowingly manipulates or destroys evidence, even after the police warn her to stop. 

We quickly get three victims. The killer is definitely an overachiever, killing each victim twice:

• Victim 1: strangled, then stuffed into a strawstack which is set on fire.
• Victim 2: poisoned, then hung
• Victim 3: shot, then drowned 

On the plus side, the story flowed better and better as it went along. The denouément of the killer was a very clever twist which I did not foresee, and made up for the lackluster beginning. 

I will have to get Who Rides a Tiger off the shelf and consider it again - assuming Miss Margaret Tilbury isn't in it.

With One Stone by Frances & Richard Lockridge (1961)

 

Major characters:

• James Bedlow, wealthy newspaper publisher
• Ann Bedlow, his second (and trophy) wife
• Dinah, James' daughter (by his first marriage)
• Mary Parsons, James' other daughter (by his first marriage)
• Russel Parsons, Mary's husband, a public relations man
• Norman Curtis, editor at Bedlow's newspaper
• Robert Lynch, Ann's brother
• Jason Sarles, gardener
• Harry Simpkins, butler
• Captain Merton Heimrich
• Sergeant Forniss

Locale: (fictional) Van Brunt, upstate New York

Synopsis: Captain Merton Heimrich is returning from Florida with his bride Susan Faye Heimrich, when they read of a death near their home in New York state.

It was the custom of the wealthy Bedlow family to gather for cocktails at 6 PM. The family consists of wealthy newspaper publisher James Bedlow, his second wife Ann Bedlow, and his two daughters Dinah Bedlow and Mary Parsons. Trophy wife Ann is much younger than James, about the age of his daughters.

Ann goes for a pre-cocktail walk on the estate but does not return. James goes to look for her, and finds her near death in the bottom of their empty pool. He and gardener Jason Sarles bring her to the house, but to no avail, she dies from a serious head wound.

Authorities arrive and find a bloody rock nearby, apparently a murder weapon. They also find someone had apparently been staying in their closed-up guest house near the pool. Not long after questioning the household, James Bedlow himself is found dead in his home office, apparently a suicide. But something isn't quite right - who shoots themselves by holding the gun far away?

With two murders in hand, the investigation turns to motive, and the sequence of inheritance. Robert Lynch, a penniless artist, is Ann's half-brother, and is hoping to be in on the proceeds of the estate. He heads to Van Brunt - but meets up with a rock and the empty swimming pool as well.

Review:

It is a cunning murderer who plots getting an inheritance by making sure A dies, then B dies; but not the other way around; and a plot element common in Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason series. 

We have a small cast of characters in the mansion. Picking out the murderer gets a bit easier as it goes along, since three of the cast get murdered along the way. I had it narrowed down to two, and it was indeed one of them. 

It is always fun to have a mix of the gentry in their mansion, especially when they begin suspecting each other. This 1961 story also shows how alcohol was a common part of everyday life, and everyone is always fixing drinks whenever the action slows; and the 6PM cocktail cart was a requisite part of lubricating the household.

The story is told in third person, and reveals the thoughts of many of the cast. Some of these are obscure and sometimes I was not sure who was "thinking" or what they meant. But that does not detract from the enjoyment. The Heimrich series always fits well like a comfortable old sweater.

Also see this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block. 

I Am the Only Running Footman by Martha Grimes (1986)

 

About the author: This is #8 of 25 books featuring Richard Jury. See this Wikipedia article for biography and list of the 25 Richard Jury books. Click this Martha Grimes label to see all my reviews of this series.

Major characters:

Sheila Broome (victim #1)
Ivy Childess (victim #2)
David Marr (Ivy's boyfriend)

Marion Winslow (David's sister)

Hugh Winslow (Marion's husband)

Edward "Ned" Winslow, their son 

Lucinda St. Clair, neighbor to the Winslows

Supt. Richard Jury
Det. Sgt. Alfred Wiggins
Chief Supt. A. E. Racer
Division Commander Brian Macalvie
Melrose Plant

Synopsis: Supt. Richard Jury is called to the scene of a murder - of Ivy Childess, found outside the I Am The Only Running Footman pub, stangled with her own scarf. Det. Sgt. Alfred Wiggins recalls another murder - 10 months previous, Sheila Broome was found in the woods of Devon strangled with her own scarf.

The Broome murder, being in Devon, fell under the jurisdiction of Division Commander Brian Macalvie. Macalvie and Jury cooperate in trying to find a connection between the two girls. A connection - though slim - is found. Ivy's somewhat-boyfriend David Marr is a brother to Marion Winslow, and the Winslow family seems to hold some secrets - beginning at the time when Hugh and Marion's young daughter, Phoebe, ran out into the street and was killed by a driver.

Review: It will be helpful if you are familiar with Hoagy Carmichael's song, Stardust. The chapter titles are taken from the song (subtle, that), and the 'Starrdust' shop featured late in the book has that theme as well. 

This is one of the more enjoyable Jurys I have read thus far. The little affair with Susan Bredon-Hunt at the beginning doesn't add much except add the obligatory bed scene. 

It took a bit of sketching out relationships to try to understand the Winslows and the St. Clairs as they are only introduced bit by bit. Suffice to say this sums it up:

Hugh and Marion Winslow had two children: Phoebe (killed in an accident) and Edward "Ned". Marion's brother is David Marr, somewhat-boyfriend to victim Ivy Childess; and the main suspect in her murder.

St. John and Sybil St. Clair are neighbors to the Winslows. They have three children: Lucinda, Davinity, and Pearl.

Vivian Rivington, Aunt Agatha, Fiona Clingmore, and Cyril the cat only make brief cameos, too bad - they are always enjoyable.

The Starrdust shop is a fun place, and Sgt. Wiggins gets right into it and manages to extract some information at the same time. 

My paperback edition has a broken hand mirror on the cover - not sure why - no hand mirrors figure in the story.

That Affair Next Door by Anna Katherine Green (1897)

 

This review is of the Kindle edition.

About the author: Anna Katharine Green (1846 – 1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Green has been called "the mother of the detective novel".  (excerpt from wikipedia)

Major characters:

• Amelia Butterworth, spinster detective/narrator/protagonist
• Silas Van Burnam, her neighbor
• Franklin Van Burnam, his elder, responsible son
• Howard Van Burnam, his younger, reckless son
• Louise Stapleton Burnam, Howard's wife
• Isabella Van Burnam, Silas' daughter
• Caroline Van Burnam, Silas' daughter
• Mrs. Boppert, the scrub-woman
• Miss Althorpe, rooming house owner
• Mr. Stone, Miss Althorpe's fiancé
• Ruth Oliver
• Detective Ebenezer Gryce
• Coroner Dahl

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Amelia Butterworth, spinster amateur detective, lives alone next to the Van Burnam mansion in Gramercy Park, New York City. The mansion is occupied by wealthy Silas Van Burnam and his two daughters, Isabella and Caroline. He also has two married sons: the elder, Franklin, is the responsible one. The younger, Howard, is the "reckless" one - and semi-estranged from the family due to his selection of an improper, lower class woman - Louise Stapleton - for a wife.

The Van Burnams are away and their house is closed. Amelia hears a sound at midnight, and looks out to see a man and woman alight from a cab, and using a key, enter the house. She sees the man emerge ten minutes later and walk away, leaving the woman alone in the house. 

Knowing the utilities are not connected in the mansion, Amelia is concerned for the welfare of the woman inside. In the morning, she sees the scrub-woman, Mrs. Boppert, arrive there and expresses her concern to her and the beat patrolman. The patrolman enters the house with Mrs. Boppert and they find a woman's body under a large fallen cabinet. Detective Ebenezer Gryce is called in.

None of the family can identify the woman. During the inquest, evidence is presented which 1). shows Louise was dead before the cabinet fell - making it a murder case, and 2). forces Howard to reluctantly admit the woman is his wife, Louise. 

The identity of the victim is still hazy. Amelia is sure it is Louise, but Detective Gryce has evidence it may be someone else. Amelia and Gryce are cooperating, but come to different conclusions. The victim had obviously exchanged clothing with someone, perhaps Ruth Oliver.

Review: This story is very engaging and Amelia is crusty and assertive, but very likable. She is like a Mary Roberts Rinehart character, minus the modesty - of which Amelia has none at all, except about her appearance (she had to be fully dressed before looking out her window).

The story could be a modern day one. I got about halfway before I got a little jolting reminder that this was not a modern story, when she mentioned the cab was horse-drawn!

The author is quite meticulous about explaining every little loose end that appears - nothing was unexplained. At times, too much detail is used. The story could be tightened tremendously by editing.

SPOILER AHEAD

I generally do not include spoilers, however, I must do so to complete this review. Throughout the book, suspicion alternates between the Van Burnam brothers. However, at the end, a new character is introduced who turns out to be the murderer. The author is definitely not playing fair with us by leaving this character out of the story until the end - but, in her defense, when she wrote this Knox's Ten Commandments of Fair Play were still 32 years in the future (1929)!

Most of my reading is conventional books - but I do read some older authors which are readily available on Kindle. Anna Katherine Green, Carolyn Wells, Edgar Wallace, Mary Roberts Rinehart, and those of that era are available in bulk very cheaply in the 'Megapack' bundles. Search Amazon Kindle bookstore for mystery megapack, detective megapack or author name + megapack (try this search) and you will be surprised what turns up for either 99 cents or $1.99.

Eleven Came Back by Mabel Seeley (1943)

 

About the author: Mabel Seeley was born Mabel Hodnefield in Herman, Minnesota. Her first book, The Listening House, was published in 1938. In 1941, she won the Mystery of the Year Award for her book The Chuckling Fingers. She wrote seven mysteries, all between 1938 and 1954, and all of them period pieces set in the Midwest. (Goodreads)

Major characters:

• Martha Chappell, radio network owner, our narrator
• Dane Chappell, her husband
• George Talbot, their investor
• Delphine Andra Huddleston, a.k.a. Mrs. Parent
• Jim Parent, her husband
• Eveyln Anson, her secretary
• Rolf Gaden, refugee from Norway
• Lolly Sheehan, former showgirl
• Jock Huddleston, Delphine's first husband, newspaper heir
• Deirdre Huddleston, Jock's (second) wife
• Ed Laidlaw, stable hand
• Hank Carradeau, ranch hand
• Henry Rayfield, park ranger
• Robert Batson, park ranger
• Sheriff Gagnon

Locale: The Tetons, Wyoming

Synopsis: Martha and Dane Chappell are owners of the Arcadia Broadcasting System, a small midwest radio network serving the needs of rural farmers and ranchers. Their primary shareholder is George Talbot. Talbot has invited them to a gathering at the home of "Mr. and Mrs. Parent", in the Tetons of Wyoming, adjacent to Teton National Park. Talbot is selling out his share of the network, and the purpose of the gathering is to introduce them to Mrs. Parent, who is buying him out.

The Chappells are shocked to find out that Mrs. Parent is really Delphine Andra Huddleston, a greedy, wealthy social climber who seeks to take over the radio network for her own ambitions. Martha has clashed with her before.

Delphine has other house guests: her ex-husband, Jock Huddleston, and his much younger trophy wife Deidre Huddleston, Rolf Gaden, and Lolly Sheehan.

The Chappells immediately decide that Delphine must not be allowed to go through with the purchase of Talbot's share.

Delphine organizes a nighttime horse ride into the national park. Twelve riders set out (the top twelve in the list above). They reach a part where a bridge crosses over a fast stream and waterfall. Clouds obscure the moon and the night becomes absolutely dark, and unsafe to continue with the horses on the narrow trail. Lolly Sheehan organizes some games while they wait for the moon to reappear. Lolly is at the bridge when a scream is heard, and they find she has fallen off the bridge and over the falls to her death.

Park rangers Henry Rayfield and Robert Batson arrive and document the scene, and turn the investigation over to Sheriff Gagnon.

Review:

What I liked:

The atmosphere was done very well, and it was pleasant reading of the dry desert and high mountains, which looking at cold and snow here in Maine.

The first big surprise was the first victim. When the group headed off on the horse ride, I figured the unversally-hated nasty Delphine was going to get what she had coming. Not so. 

The characters of Rolf Gaden and Lolly Sheehan are not immediately introduced to the reader, so I had no idea who they were, or why they were guests, for a long time. Lolly's connection is eventually revealed at the inquest. Rolf's role is introduced near the end ... a long time to wait, but it did add to the suspense.

The inquest scene was done well, with all the principals called to witness, which brought the reader up to date and brought out some new information. I did laugh when it was time for the jury to deliberate, and not having a separate room in which to remove the jury, they instead just removed the spectators from the jury (everybody out!). I hadn't seen that done before.

What I didn't like:

It was disappointing that Jim Parent, the only native American, was given a stereotypical role as being dead drunk and lazy all the time.

The aspect of the story that was hard to believe was when the group got stopped by darkness on their ride. What to do until the moon comes out? Instead of sitting around the campfire swapping stories, they play hide-and-seek! Well, the author had to get the group spread out as part of the plot, but it seemed a silly way to do it.

I also have The Chuckling Fingers which I enjoyed (the name is of a location on a lake where the water splashes [chuckles] over a rock formation [the fingers]. The author only wrote nine mysteries so I am keeping my eye out for the others. 

You may also enjoy this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block. 

The Four of Hearts by Ellery Queen (1938)

 

dustjackets.com

About the author: Ellery Queen is a crime fiction pseudonym created in 1929 by Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, and later used by other authors under Dannay and Lee's supervision. Dannay and Lee's main fictional character, whom they also named Ellery Queen, is a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve baffling murders. (from Wikipedia - full article). 

Major characters:

John "Jack" Royle, actor

Tyler Royle, his son 

Louderbach, the Royle family servant 

------------

Blythe Stuart, actor

Bonnie Stuart, her daughter

Tolland Stuart, her father, a mountain hermit

Clotilde, the family French maid 

------------

Joe DiSangri Allesandro, casino owner
Alan Clark, theatrical agent
Jacques Butcher, a.k.a. Butch, the Boy Wonder, Magna Pictures VP
Lew Bascom, Magna Pictures writer
Sam Vix, Magna Pictures publicity agent

Arthur William Park, a studio extra
Paula Paris, syndicated columnist

Inspector Glücke

Ellery Queen

Locale: California 

Synopsis: Ellery Queen is in Hollywood, on a short term contract to come up with a story for a detective movie for Magna Pictures; aided by writer Lew Bascom.

Magna Pictures has two famous actor families: The Royles (John "Jack" Royle and his son Tyler Royle) and the Stuarts (widow Blythe Stuart and her daughter Bonnie Stuart). Jack and Blythe have been feuding for years, and likewise their children. The studio comes up with the idea of a real-life biographical picture featuring the stars playing themselves. Surprisingly, they agree, and contracts are signed. Then, a surprise: Jack and Blythe suddenly patch things up and announce their engagement.

A quick wedding takes place on the airport tarmac, where Tyler's private plane waits to fly them to their honeymoon on remote Reed Island, owned by Jacques "Butch" Butcher, VP of Magna. After the ceremony, an unknown person dressed up in a pilot's flying togs overpowers Tyler and - impersonating Tyler - gets into the plane and flies off with Jack and Blythe. 

The plane does not arrive at Reed Island. A large search eventually finds it on a mountain plateau. Authorities arrive to find Jack and Blythe dead inside from poison, but no sign of the pilot. Bonnie becomes distraught and is taken to the nearby mountain retreat of millionaire hermit Tolland Stuart, her grandfather. She is treated by Tolland's personal physician, Doc Junius.

No one seems to have a motive as no one benefits by their deaths, but Ellery finds a possible clue: Blythe had been receiving a series of anonymous playing cards in the mail, bearing the insignia of the Horseshoe Club, a casino owned by Joe DiSangli Allesandro.

Review:

A key plot element centers around the remailing service business - so a bit of explanation is called for. This sort of thing has gone by the wayside, but it used to be a big deal.  I remember seeing in the 1960's - 1980's plenty of listings in the classified ads for these. It was a way of hiding out. You send your stamped mail to a remailing service in a distant city, and for a fee they would drop it in the mail for you from there, getting the distant city's postmark (as evidence) in the process. These were used by people who didn't want other people (a spouse, a bill collector, etc.) to know where they really were - handy for sending ransom notes, alimony, child support checks, and Dear John letters.

This was a nice early Queen, a real page turner, and a nice break from the New York City locale. It never got bogged down. The deaths had no apparent motive, and the actual motive, when discovered, was clever. The solution was a bit complex but that was of necessity. 

Cordially Invited to Meet Death by Rex Stout (1942)

 

This novella is usually combined with Black Orchids in one volume.

About the author: Rex Stout (1886 – 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and 39 novellas between 1934 and 1975. (wikipedia). (bibliography)

Major characters:

• Bess Huddleston, professional party arranger
• Daniel Huddleston, her brother; a chemist
• Lawrence Huddleston, her nephew, a lazy stay-at-home
• Janet Nichols, her assistant
• Maryella Timms, her secretary
• Dr. Alan Brady

and of course:

• Nero Wolfe, private detective
• Archie Goodwin, private detective
• Lt. Cramer, homicide

Locale: Long Island, New York

Synopsis: Bess Huddleston arranges entertainment parties for the affluent Long Island set. She lives in a mansion on Long Island along with her idler nephew Lawrence "Larry" Huddleson, to whom she doles out an allowance. Also residing are her assistant, Janet Nichols, and her secretary, Maryella Timms; who are always shooting eye-daggers at each other. The estate is also home to Bess' collection of exotic animals, who have the run of the place.

Bess comes to Wolfe with a problem. Someone has been sending poison pen letters to her clients, hinting that Bess knows things about various indiscretions. The letters and the typewriter used are found to be in Bess' mansion, available to anyone in the house. No sooner has Archie looked the place over, when Bess turns up dead. And she was Wolfe's client!

Review: This is a nice tight novella, also published as Invitation to Death.  We don't get to know Bess very well, she is rather two-dimensional and she does not last long into the story. The animals running around her mansion are distracting and do not add anything much to the plot except messing up a bit of evidence.

The most enjoyable part of the story is the relationship between Maryella and Wolfe. Once Wolfe catches on that she is a credible and talented cook, he opens the kitchen to her and we get a number of firsts: a woman in the kitchen, and actually allowed to prepare food! Not only that, she touches him!

I learned a few things from this story, most importantly how tetanus is spread. The story is not to be taken as a medical reference, but it did send me to wikipedia to check (it agrees). Fortunately, my ten-year tetanus vaccination is still in force, and after reading the story, I will be sure to never let it lapse - and especially not wander around outside barefoot.

I also learned the secret ingredient which is required for corned beef hash.

Also see this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block. 

Black Orchids by Rex Stout (1941)

 

biblio.com

This title consists of two stories: Black Orchids and Cordially Invited to Meet Death. 

About the author: Rex Stout (1886 – 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and 39 novellas between 1934 and 1975. (wikipedia). (bibliography)

Major characters:

• Harry Gould, Dill employee acting in their display
• Anne Tracy, Dill employee acting in their display
• W. G. Dill, head of Rucker & Dill, horticulturalists
• Lewis Hewitt, amateur orchid grower
• Fred Updegraff, head of Updegraff Nurseries
• Pete Arango, employee of Updegraff Nurseries
• Rose Lasher, the mysterious woman, a.k.a. Ruby Lawson

and of course:

• Nero Wolfe, private detective
• Archie Goodwin, private detective
• Johnny Keems, operative
• Lt. Cramer, homicide

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: The New York Flower Show is underway, and the stars of the show are three black orchid plants, grown by millionaire flower enthusiast Lewis Hewitt, who is also the chairman of the Flower Show committee. Nero Wolfe is quite jealous and wants to see, if not possess, them. 

Elsewhere in the show is the big Rucker & Dill exhibit, which features not only lots of flowers, but a staged meadow-and-stream scene with employees Harry Gould and Anne Tracy acting as lovers on a picnic. There is an undercurrent of concern at the show about Kurume Yellows, a plant disease which is plagueing the exhibitors. Hewitt even thinks there is some sabotage and wants to hire Wolfe to find out - an idea Wolfe dismisses.

The first hint of trouble is when Fred Undegraff, head of Undegraff nurseries, sneaks a plant clipping from Rucker & Dill's exhibit, and is seen by Harry Gould. Then, during the scheduled picnic scene, Gould is found to be not only asleep (as he is supposed to be portraying), but also quite dead. 

The police find a gun hidden in the scenery, with a string from the trigger leading to the service corridor behind the exhibit. The end of the string had been tied to a cane belonging to Hewitt, who was missing it. It was arranged such that anyone innocently picking up the cane (which happened to be Archie Goodwin) would pull on the string and discharge the gun. Pete Arango, employee of Undegraff Nurseries, had observed a woman - Rose Lasher - hanging around the service corridor. She is interviewed but hostile, giving a false name - Ruby Lawson - and address.

Review: This shorter novella is always a fun one to come back to, and it features an episode where Wolfe actually leaves the brownstone. 

The best part is when operative Johnny Keems shows up at Wolfe's with Anne Tracy in tow. Johnny, who is always seeking to take over Archie's position, did not follow Wolfe's instructions exactly and is reamed out in front of everyone. It is hilarious how Wolfe puts him in his place; although I definitely would not want to be in that position.

The denouément scene in the rooftop flower rooms is somewhat predictable as Wolfe lays a not-so-nice trap for the killer. There are a number of hints to the reader as to what is coming. 

Also please see this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.